Buttonhole forming member for garments



Oct. 8, 1963 E. E. BANKS BUTTONHOLE FORMING MEMBER FOR GARMENTS Filed Feb. 19. 1962 ATTORNEY United States Patent "ice 3,105,971 BUTIGNHGLE FGRMING MEMBER FQR GARMENTS Ethel '16. Banks, Walcott St., Stow, Mass. Filed Feb. 19, 1962, Sea. No. 173,932 1 Claim. (Cl. 2-96) This invention relates to a new and improved buttonhole forming member for garments, and relates in general to a fiat braided member, the braid of which is made in a loose manner so that the braid is easily pulled apart throughout its length at selected spots to provide relatively large interstices or openings to receive the buttons therethrough, the interstices or openings being then easily once more substantially closed merely by pulling on the braided member.

Further objects of the invention relate to the provision of a braided belt in combination with a garment having buttons in spaced relation thereon, said buttons extending through the braided member for securing the braided belt to the garment; the provision of a braided apron string in combination with a row of mutually spaced buttons on the apron for the attachment of the apron strings to the apron and to provide for quick and easy detachment therefrom; and the provision of a braided edge providing buttonholes for a garment such as a jacket or for trousers, etc.

The invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly set forth in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 illustrates an apron to which the invention is applied;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the braid illustrating how it may be pulled apart in order to insert the buttons therethrough, and

FIG. 3 illustrates a garment to which the braided material may be applied.

The present invention contemplates the combination of a garment with a braided member which is braided flat of three or more strands or filaments preferably using stitched tape such as double fold bias tape or flat plastic, spaghetti string, etc. braided in elongated form with any number of strands from three up but being braided very loosely so that the individual strands at any point along the braid may be pulled apart in order to provide temporarily relatively large interstices or openings therethrough for receiving buttons.

This is indicated in FIG. 2 at 10, the braided tapes 3,105,971 Patented'oct. 8, 1963 being indicated generally at 12 and being loosely braided in a way well known in the art.

There is shown at 14 an apron which is provided along an edge thereof with a series of mutually spaced buttons 16 of any convenient size or shape, these buttons taking any form that buttons may ordinarily assume as recognized in the prior art.

It is pointed out that the apron or other garment may be of any desired material or color and of course the braid itself may be of the same or different colors or may be variegated so as to provide for many different colors or combinations. It is very easy to attach and detach the apron string which comprises the elongated braided member and therefore it will be seen that it can be washed separately from the apron if this should be desirable.

The invention can also be applied to a garment such as for instance the jacket which is shown at '18 in FIG. 3, the buttons being illustrated at 20, these buttons having been buttoned to the braided strip 22, buttons 24 still remaining unbuttoned with respect to the braided strip. This braided strip is not necessarily attached to the garment only by the buttons 20 and 24 but may be sewed at its edge thereto as at 26, it being otherwise free thereof so as to provide for manipulation to enlarge the interstices 10 as explained above.

It will be seen that this invention provides a very simple and easy button-forming strip which can be applied as desired and used as apron strings, as a belt, as a means for providing buttonholes for garments in general, etc.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what I claim is:

The combination in a garment of a row of mutually spaced buttons secured to said garment with an elongated loosely woven fiat strip of braided material, all of the individual strands of which are capable of being easily separated at any point along the strip providing buttonreceiving interstices therein with the buttons being received in said interstices.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 199,659 Netzner -i Jan. 29, 1878 1,108,262 Smith Aug. 25, 1914 1,831,616 Zimmere'r et a1. Nov. 10, 1931 1,918,748 Hawkins July 18, 1933 

